1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to correcting a color reproduced by a video device according to peripheral brightness, and more particularly, to correcting a color reproduced by a video device according to peripheral brightness so that the visibility of the video device is guaranteed under peripheral conditions brighter than the video device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a color reproduced by a video device is recognized differently by a user according to peripheral conditions of the video device. In addition to the change of peripheral conditions, the color recognized by the user is also affected by the type of color reproduced by the video device.
For example, when the peripheral brightness is higher than the brightness of a color reproduced by the video device, the user erroneously recognizes the color or has difficulty in recognizing it. Two reasons are thought to cause such degradation of visibility. First, light from the surroundings is added to the light produced by the video device and distorts the color. As a result, the range of color reproduction is reduced. Second, the user's eyes adapt to peripheral light, which is more intense than the light from the video device, so that the user recognizes the color reproduced by the video device differently.
In contrast, when the surroundings are darker, the color reproduced by the video device is not affected nearly as much by the peripheral light. In addition, because the effect of adaptation is smaller, the user is better able to recognize the reproduced color.
In summary, when the surroundings are brighter than a color reproduced by a video device, the white spectrum of peripheral light is added to the spectrum of colors reproduced by the video device. As a result, the spectrum of colors reproduced by the video device is smaller than that of the white spectrum. In addition, the user's eyes adapt to the surroundings, and as a result, color recognition suffers. Therefore, a method of improving visibility in bright peripheral conditions is required.
Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1998-0072857 discloses a device for correcting the saturation of a video device as an approach for compensating for the reduction in saturation perceived by a viewer when the surroundings are dark. The device detects the change of saturation perceived by the viewer as the peripheral brightness varies and, based on the change, adjusts the gamma and color signal gain of TV set circuits. However, the related-art device merely compensates for saturation reduction when surroundings are dark, but does not provide any means for guaranteeing the visibility and increasing the range of color reproduction when surroundings are bright.